NASCAR news

[Garrett Duke]

Well y'all, I got some pretty devastating news. Well, maybe not for you. It was for me.

Jeff Gordon announced this morning that 2015 will be his LAST full season in NASCAR to end his 23 year career behind the wheel of the 24 car. Guess he left the door open of possibly running part time in 2016, but read in one article that he wasn't going to decide on that yet.

I am really in shock of all this though I really shouldn't be seeing how I have been fearing this news ever since the season ended when it came clear that Rick Hendrick had promised big things in the Cup series to Chase Elliot (Bill Elliot's son) and who drove his first Nationwide Series season with Jr Motorsports (for Dale Jr.) and ended up being the Nationwide Series Champion last season. NASCAR owners are only allowed four full time cars and I think a part time car. They stated as soon as the season ended that Kasey Kahne's contract got extended, Jr

s contract I think runs through 2016 if not more...as does Jimmie Johnson. Gordon has a life time contract with Rick Hendrick .... meaning he will race only for Rick Hendrick.

Nothing has been officially said, but I feel safe in saying that Chase Elliot will be the driver of the 24 car in 2016.

I really like Chase Elliot. He seems like a great kid with a lot of talent. In fact he is my favorite Nationwide Series ...I mean Xfinity Series driver. But it don't matter how much I like Chase Elliot, I am still not ok to think of him in the 24 car. The 24 car will always be Jeff Gordon. I am happy for Chase Elliot to be given a seat in NASCAR with the elite Hendrick team. Hendrick sits on top as being the best team in NASCAR...and to think of Chase at 19 years or so with Hendrick...that is an honor for a kid. Then again, I do believe Kyle Busch was 18 when he started to drive for Rick Hendrick. I guess that is Hendrick's magic in finding kids with great talent and making them superstars from the start. Gordon was twenty something when he started with Hendrick.

Still...I am having a hard time accepting this. I have been a die hard Jeff Gordon fan since I started liking NASCAR back in 1998 or so. Everyone who knows me knows I like Jeff Gordon.

I know some Gordon fans who have said that once Gordon is done, they were done with NASCAR. Especially with the Chase with how it is and what NASCAR did to it. There was a day, I would have said the same thing. Then again, that was when I watched NASCAR for Jeff Gordon. I may have liked other drivers, but not enough to keep watching. If Gordon got wrecked out of the race..I would turn the TV off. That was back when I first started watching NASCAR and before I also became a big Jimmie Johnson fan (thanks to Jeff Gordon who owns over half of his car.). I have a hard time being a fan of someone for so long one day and not the next...I am loyal to my teams. NASCAR will definitely not be the same without Jeff Gordon...but I will watch it. Gordon will always be my all time favorite driver...no matter what. But when he retires, I will go for Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr...and Chase Elliot. That is if I can accept someone new in the 24 car. Now I know how all those Dale Earnhardt Sr. fans felt with Ty Dillon took the famous number three. It just is not right. At all. I would have a lot easier time at accepting Chase Elliot as Hendrick's fourth driver if it was under a different number and new sponsors (do not know how the sponsor deals will work out. He may have new sponsors and Rick Hendrick may issues him a new number. I really hope he does. I know he had a car number 25 at one time...)

Though at the same time, if this is what Jeff Gordon wants, I am happy for him. He deserves to have the time off to be himself, to spend time with his family, and to enjoy life. I will always love him. No matter what. He has said he will not use the retirement word because he plans on still behing busy with Hendrick Motorsports and with racing. Do not really know what all that is, but at least he will still be around.

So I guess I am happy for Gordon and wish him the best of luck...but for me, I am sad and depressed over this news.

Before I read this, I was excited that today marks only ONE MORE MONTH until DAYTONA...but now reading this, it is more like one more month until Gordon's last NASCAR season.

All I have to say is, that Gordon better win the championship and not have it robbed from him as it was last year...

[RogerDuke]

You were the first one I thought of when I saw it in the newspaper Garrett. Hang in there buddy.

[Garrett Duke]

You were the first one I thought of when I saw it in the newspaper Garrett. Hang in there buddy.

Thanks Roger. It was really rough day for me yesterday hearing this and it still is, but am slowly accepting it. I guess I have no choice. Am really hoping for a great year for him this year...and that it won't go by as fast as last year. LOL. Gotta enjoy this year while it last and to be grateful for it...and to be able to watch Gordon at all.

It means a lot to hear you and others say they think of me while all of this. It really does. I know to most people, he just another driver. Another person. And probably most people think it isn't that big of deal ... and that I can always pick another driver. Well I guess I am not most people. I will always be a NASCAR fan (no matter how badly they try to ruin the sport. See where there is talk of MAYBE shortening the races. I really hope not!) but NASCAR will not be the same without Jeff Gordon behind the wheel of the 24 car. As I said, I will move on and give Jimmie Johnson my full support and will be gratefull for him. But he is still not Jeff Gordon...

With that said...I am way past done with football. Time to get on with the real sport of NASCAR!!!! 29 more days!!!

[Hobie Hartkins]

.......Jeff Gordon....well.....no comment! HOWEVER, that time he disgiused himself and took that dealer for a wild ride was VERY funny!!

[Garrett Duke]

OK so this isn't news worthy but had to share because this is exactly how I feel about Gordon's retirement...

[Hobie Hartkins]

My response to that is....." Yea....right!!"

[Garrett Duke]

My response to that is....." Yea....right!!"

That is how I feel about Gordon retiring...you may not be a fan of his. But I am. By the way who is your favorite driver?

[Garrett Duke]

Well y`all guess what is on FOX....NASCAR with their Sprint Unlimited race. Preseason race. All for fun and not for points. Starts off speed week. Bet you all know who is excited....

[Hobie Hartkins]

That is how I feel about Gordon retiring...you may not be a fan of his. But I am. By the way who is your favorite driver?

Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin

[Garrett Duke]

They are good. Any of the current drivers you follow?

[Hobie Hartkins]

hmmm...not really....i just kind of watch and pick as it happens!

[Garrett Duke]

On Monday the family court had decided that there was enough evidence in the case of Kurt Busch and his ex girl friend of abuse and have granted his ex girlfriend a restraining order against Kurt Busch. Kurt can not come within so many feet from her...want to say five hundred or six hundred but not sure. And has to go to therapy for his anger.

And yesterday NASCAR has indefinitely suspended Kurt Busch from any racing....meaning he cannot race in Daytona 500 or any race until NASCAR says it is OK again. Regan Smith will be in Kurt Busch 41 car until he is able to come back - if he is able to.

In MY OPINION, NASCAR has no right punishing Kurt Busch as of now. I understand that they have to punish Kurt IF he did what he is being accused of, but as of now, the court has yet to say one way or another if he is guilty of what he is accused of. Right now, it is only family court that has issued their opinion ... not the court that decides whether or not to charge him for what he is accused of. So what ever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Makes me upset that they would just suspend him before the verdict...now if Kurt Busch is innocent, he will be missing races and all the points that come with them. This whole story is complicated and hard to say for sure what really happened. I do not think anyone will ever know for sure what has happened other than Patricia and Kurt. Though personally find it hard that the court or that judge believed her side of the story over his after she was found lying under oath to start with...and she has changed her story three different times.

But in other NASCAR news (I heard about this while writing the other part...) Kyle Busch was involved in a horrible accident in the Xfinity series race at Daytona. Looks like he hit the wall HARD at a place with no safety barrier. He left in an ambulance and as of now hear they are working with a right leg injury and he will NOT be in tomorrow`s race. My heart, thoughts, and prayers go out for him and his wife, Samantha, during this difficult time. Am so relieved he will be OK, but this has got to be killing him inside that he will miss tomorrow`s race and who knows how many races he will miss due to this. As Regan Smith had said in Facebook, there is no excuse for any track not to have safety barrier like this. All of this could have been prevented if only there was safety barrier.

Hard to imagine a race without any of the Busch brothers...guess we will see one tomorrow.

[Garrett Duke]

Got some more news on Kyle Busch and his accident. He has a compound fracture in his leg and a fracture in his foot, he is going to have to have surgery on it to put plates in. Will be out up to six months. Matt Crafton will be in the 18 car for Kyle for tomorrow`s race at Daytona.

My heart aches for Kyle to be going through all of this. He is a racer through and through and for him to be sitting out for Daytona 500 and for that long has to be killing him. Especially since it all could have been prevented if only it had safety barrier walls where he hit...instead he hit concrete going however fast he was going. Guess Daytona is going to fix it so all the track has safety barrier walls, but a little too late for Kyle. He is in my thoughts and prayers.

[LizzyJackson-Davenport]

update: According to @AccessAllNascar on twitter as of about five minutes ago Kyle is out of surgery and in stable condition. Also it's a compound fracture of the right lower leg and a mid-foot fracture of his left foot in the accident. - See more at: http://www.catchfence.com/2015/sprintcup/02/21/statement-joe-gibbs-racing-regarding-injury-status-kyle-busch/?utm_campaign=twitter_tweet&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter#sthash.MukWkaM0.dpuf

[Hobie Hartkins]

Hey, What about all that mess I saw on T.V. with Danica and .....Hamlin??? That looked so fake! They're bad actors!! I'm starting to think that Professional wrestling isn't the only fake "Sport" out there! I'm thinking NFL football and racing might be as well. That crash Busch had was real enougfh...I'm not saying that, but I think a lot of it is rigged or acted/scripted!

[Garrett Duke]

Hamlin wrecked Patrick twice in one week, I doubt it was fake.

[HossC]

I've just watched a video of Kyle Busch's crash. The infield wall that he hit was quite a long way from the track, but there still should have been something to soften the impact. Racing in lower formulae used to be common for Formula 1 drivers in the early days (double World Champion and Indy 500 winner Jim Clark was killed in Formula Two race in 1968), but nowadays the drivers stick to the main series.

NASCAR are in a tricky position with Kurt Busch, and would probably be criticized whatever they did. There aren't many jobs where you'd be suspended while allegations of this nature were investigated, but driving NASCAR isn't a normal job. Because the alleged crime has nothing directly to do with NASCAR, I'd prefer it if Kurt Busch was found guilty of something before he was suspended.

[Spike]

I agree Nascar should have waited to Indefinitely Suspend Kurt Busch till he's been proven guilty of something. Right now it's all Hearsay, He Said, She Said.

Feel bad for Kyle Busch getting hurt but he only has himself to blame as he was pushing in the Tri-oval which is not a place to be pushing someone. Can't believe they've spent so much money Upgrading Daytona yet they still don't have Safer barriers all around the inside of the track.

[Hobie Hartkins]

Hamlin wrecked Patrick twice in one week, I doubt it was fake.

Well, that's something to think about, but I just think it all looked like it was forced, or acted....she didn't really seem to have her heart into it, when she was grabbing him and yelling, etc. He didn't seem to be too fired up either, especially considering someone was trying to jack him around and yelling in his face!

[LizzyJackson-Davenport]

UPDATE:

The Delaware Department of Justice issued a statement Thursday morning stating that they have cleared Kurt Busch and he will not face criminal charges in the alleged domestic abuse case. Nascar however has stated that they will not reinstate them until he completes their terms and conditions for reinstatement. They refused to tell the press what those conditions were just that Busch agreed to them and that there was no timetable for the end of these conditions. There is also no indication as to if he will return to the No. 41 car this year.

Busch on the other said he was glad to be cleared and that he had known since the beginning that the truth would come out in the end and he would be working with an expert to meet those terms and conditions.

More information can be found here:

http://www.foxsports.com/nascar/story/kurt-busch-ex-girlfriend-patricia-driscoll-no-criminal-charges-stewart-haas-racing-030515

[Hobie Hartkins]

I've found out that Kurt Busch is worth $ 50 million ....if I had THAT kind of money, I'd tell them all where to go and what to do when they got there, how fast they could do it and who they could do it with!!

[LizzyJackson-Davenport]

Anyone who followed the 2014 Nascar results and review thread last year will know I'm a huge fan of Kyle Busch and was majorly disappointed when he hit the wall in the Xfinity race and was sidelined. News came out today, nearly three months later, and confirmed that Kyle will return to racing starting May 16th for the All-Star race after being medically cleared.  This girl is excited, barring the fact that I'll miss the race for a Red's baseball game.

[Garrett Duke]

Well I am back as well...HNet wasn't accepting my password until now. Figured y'all got me kicked out. LOL.

 

I will admit there was a time I that Kyle Busch kinda bugged me, but I have to admit I have slowly accepted the fact that now that he has matured in the past couple of years I do like him and have respect for him. I am super excited to hear of his return this weekend...though his wife is due any time now. So who knows if she has her baby this weekend if that would sideline him for one more race. It will be great to see him in the 18 car once more.

 

Better yet, NASCAR has waivered him to be Chase eligible as long as he finishes in the top 30 in points with a win come Chase time. Normally the driver has to qualify their car and start the race in order to get points for the race and to be able to go into the Chase...and with Kyle missing two and a half months of races that would side line him come time for the Chase. But NASCAR is making an exception for him. Which they should. If they and Daytona International Speedway had put safety barriers on that wall, he wouldn't have gotten hurt as badly as he did. So super news for Kyle Busch and his fans.

[Garrett Duke]

Well this isn't NASCAR news worthy...but I apologize for not keeping up with my race reviews and so forth. Life has gotten busy and haven't had the time to really sit down and write any up...and have missed a couple of races here and there. Horrible...I know. Gordon's last year and I am failing him miserably...find it incredibly sad that this time next year, there will be a kid in his seat and not him. At least he will be up in the booth in FOX with Darrell Waltrip. Talking of the booth, tonight's race at Daytona will be the first race on NBC for the past few  years. Will be interesting to see who will be in their booth and all that fancy stuff. (Just so you know...next year, my main driver will move over to my second favorite driver. Jimmie Johnson. I am interested in seeing how Chase Elliot will do in the Cup series, just wish it was in another car. 24 will always be Gordon for me.)

 

Anyway Dale Earnhardt Jr got the pole due to the qualifying being rained out and they went by their finish in practice. So tonight is Gordon's last race at Daytona...really hope he will get a decent finish. For his last year, it hasn't been the best for him or his fans...so it is about time to turn that around. Jr will take the green flag 6:30 central time on NBC. Seeing how I have to wake up at four tomorrow morning, I really don't know how long I will stay up to watch it. According to my DVR, it has it ending at 9:30 central time...my time. Which is doable to be up at, but won't be putting me to bed any time early. LOL.

 

So there it is...hope all has been great for you.

[Spike]

I stayed up till 10pm and it still was raining so I went to bed but woke this morning and seen the crazy finish on the news. I think they should have just postponed it till today. Pretty interesting to see the stands in front of the start finish line empty. I would not be surprised to see Nascar take a big financial hit like Indycar did a few years ago.